Even in red states, Americans are way ahead of their elected lawmakers.

Decades of polling analysis by Stanford social psychologist Jon Krosnick and his team reveal some good news. Great news, really—even if it’s way past the reasonable time limit for us to be discussing the “debate” about the science of climate change.

It looks like American climate denial is dying, even in the majority of “red” states. Plus, majorities across this great land are still ready for policy measures to cut carbon pollution. They are even willing to pay to make it happen (within reason). In fact, the American public appears to be far more willing to get going on real and meaningful climate solutions than their elected representatives in Congress.

“To me, the most striking finding that is new today,” Krosnick told the Guardian, “was that we could not find a single state in the country where climate skepticism was in the majority.”

At least three-quarters of Americans are aware that the climate is changing.

At least two-thirds want the government to limit greenhouse gas emissions from businesses.

At least 62 percent want regulations that cut carbon pollution from power plants.

At least half want the US to take action to fight climate change, even if other countries do not.

So what gives? Why aren’t we jumping on climate solutions, left and right?

There are likely a bunch of different reasons. For one, climate change still doesn’t poll as a top priority for most Americans—it’s bottom, not top of mind, especially in this economy. While there are still majorities in favor of a range of solutions, the numbers aren’t necessarily growing (the biggest majorities were back a few years). Plus, even if research shows that Americans say they are willing to pay to curb global warming (up to $134 a year according to Krosnick’s calculations), depending on how questions are phrased, support usually drops just below 50 percent for climate solutions that involve taxes on electricity or gasoline. Americans like the idea of a price on pollution—where polluters pay for the messes they’re making instead of polluting for free and foisting the costs on us—but are a bit leery when it comes to big federal policy like cap-and-trade or carbon taxes.

Still, there’s a notable disconnect between public attitudes and the way elected officials are dealing with the issue. The Stanford research summary spells it out (emphasis mine):

We have seen through these surveys that contrary to expectations, Americans support many of the energy policies that have been discussed over the years and are willing to pay some amount to have them enacted. This runs contrary to the idea that the reason why congress is not enacting these policies is because there is not public support and that the public would be unwilling to pay. It is unfair to blame the public for the lack of policies enacted by the federal government on these issues. Why has legislation action been so limited with regard to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions? Two possibilities include that legislators have decided to ignore their constituents or that they are simply unaware of the public consensus on these issues.

Congressman Joe Barton of Texas and Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma stand out for their regular denials of climate change as a “hoax,” even among Republican ranks.

However, the research found 87 percent of Oklahomans and 84 percent of Texans accepted that climate change was occurring.

Seventy-six percent of Americans in both states also believed the government should step in to limit greenhouse gas emissions produced by industry.

And it’s not just understanding of the problem where red state voters outpace their elected officials. Nearly 80 percent of voters in Texas, for example, support solutions like regulation of power plants.

And it ain’t just Texas. Some 58 percent of Republicans in the current Congress deny the existence of climate change or oppose action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to an analysis by the Center for American Progress. The numbers of deniers in science, energy, and environmental leadership positions are even more sobering:

90 percent of the Republican leadership in both House and Senate deny climate change.

17 out of 22 Republican members of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, or 77 percent, deny climate change is real.

22 out of 30 Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, or 73 percent deny the reality of climate change.

100 percent of Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Republicans have said climate change is not happening or that humans do not cause it.

In the face of all this, the voices of elected officials who do represent the attitudes of the American public when it comes to climate change are like a breath of fresh air. Here’s Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), one of the co-chairs of a congressional climate change task force:

These polls are further proof that the American people are awake to the threat of climate change, and have not been taken in by the polluting industries’ conspiracy of denial. Now it’s time for Congress to wake up and face the facts: climate change is real; it is hurting our people, our economy, and our planet; and we have to do something about it.

And to round out the message, Henry Waxman (D-CA), task force co-chair, added: “Americans recognize that we have a moral obligation to protect the environment and an economic opportunity to develop the clean energy technologies of the future.”

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Comments

Why keep focusing on people and entities that have a stake in resisting change?

How about asking for action from the people who supposedly believe that climate change is a serious problem?

Is that perhaps 40 percent of the population?

If 40 percent of the people made a serious effort to reduce their petroleum energy use by 20 percent that would be an 8 percent reduction in carbon output. That is 4 times the currently projected benefits from renewable energy development.

Reducing energy use by 20 percent is actually quite hard. It would require a major change in travel, a major change in home energy use, and a major change in buying choices. It is not just changing lightbulbs and putting the newspaper in the recycle bin. But it is certainly not going to happen if everyone just thinks that someone else has to take an action.

Amazingly, such an action costs nothing, and yet it is harder to do than spending money on things that do not help at all or which make maters worse.

Yes, asking for this type of action is quite hard, and it is likely to create a whole new war of words and obfuscation and denial. But at least it is just a hard challenge. Asking Republican Senators to change is probably an impossible challenge.

I serve a number of Tribes in a public affairs capacity, and have for 30 years. In so doing, it has been my honor to work with some of the most conscientious people on Earth, including the stewardship ethic. That is where all things begin when one considers the proper and most effective path to follow in meeting the climate change challenge. When we love and respect the planet our Creator has provided to sustain us, we love and respect our children and the generations to come. We understand sustainability and we are able to respect ourselves. Aspiring toward these objectives means we do not pollute, over-populate or over-exploit the natural resource treasures of our beautiful planet. We pursue clean energy and economic health that provides for the things we need in a way that defies greed as it spreads love and embraces all life. Do these things, respectfully and peacefully and discover that our Creator will provide for a truly rich and rewarding life.

I serve a number of Tribes in a public affairs capacity, and have for 30 years. In so doing, it has been my honor to work with some of the most conscientious people on Earth, including the stewardship ethic. That is where all things begin when one considers the proper and most effective path to follow in meeting the climate change challenge. When we love and respect the planet our Creator has provided to sustain us, we love and respect our children and the generations to come. We understand sustainability and we are able to respect ourselves. Aspiring toward these objectives means we do not pollute, over-populate or over-exploit the natural resource treasures of our beautiful planet. We pursue clean energy and economic health that provides for the things we need in a way that defies greed as it spreads love and embraces all life. Do these things, respectfully and peacefully and discover that our Creator will provide for a truly rich and rewarding life.

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Founded in 1993, Sightline Institute is committed to making the Northwest a global model of sustainability, with strong communities, a green economy, and a healthy environment. We work to promote smart policy ideas and monitor the region's progress towards sustainability.